Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects belonging to the Cimicidae family. Both young bugs (nymphs) and adults feed on blood of humans and animals. There are several speciae of bed bugs, with Cimex hemipterus predominant in tropical regions and C. lectularius most commonly found in northern temperate regions of North America and Europe.
As taught in Pest Notes: Bed Bugs (Publication 7454, University of California, May 2009), bed bug infestations were relatively rare in North America and were thought to be associated with crowded and poorly managed housing. Recent resurgence, however, has spread infestation even to finest hotels and living accommodations. Reasons for this resurgence appear to involve increased human travel, movement of infested luggage and household items, and changes in regulations governing use of pesticides available to control this pest.
Adult bed bugs are flat-bodied, oval crawling insects, about ⅕ inch long and rusty red to mahogany in color. Nymphs have similar appearance but are smaller and have a thinner outer skeleton of a lighter, yellowish color. They are distinguished from another common blood-sucking species, conenose bugs, by smaller size, more rounded shape and lack of wings. Ability of bed bugs to survive without food for prolonged periods of time, sometimes even several months, makes infestation hard to control even in dwellings that have been left unoccupied.
Bed bugs usually feed at night and hide during the day. Common hiding places include seams in mattresses and box springs, cracks in bed frames, under loose wallpaper, behind picture frames, and inside furniture, upholstery and books. People can bring them into the home on clothing, bedding, luggage or firewood, and may occasionally pick them up in libraries, theaters, on buses and trains.
Although bed bugs are currently not considered to be disease carriers, and their bite seldom has consequences beyond itch and mild skin irritation, an almost epidemic spread of infestation in urban centers throughout North America has caused significant public concern. There is, therefore, a need for products that will control and monitor bed bug infestation.
A number of patent documents discuss devices for trapping crawling insects. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,646 to Staley describes a trap comprising a plurality of channels, with poison placed at the closed end of each channel. In the case of bed bugs, however, solutions involving use of poisonous materials are not advisable as bugs may bite humans and expose them to the poison before they die.
Other documents, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,376 to Scherbak, describe traps comprising one-way flaps or gates the construction of which prevents trapped insects from returning the same way. Due to small size and flat bodies of bed bugs, this type of trap is not likely to be efficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,722 to McMullen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,828 to Hall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,134 to Otterson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,842 to Marguiles, U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,504 to Andric and U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,825 to Gehert, all describe insect traps comprising adhesive-covered inside surfaces. While this approach is environmentally friendly and safe for humans and pets, the specific solutions taught in above patents have serious drawbacks. In general, there is one central adhesive-covered surface where insects entrapped around the periphery of the surface will effectively block the advance of other insects. Moreover, other insects may be able to register trapped insects' distress signals, causing them to turn back. These shortcomings have been partially addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,792 to Monett et al., wherein the central adhesive-covered surface is accessed through a plurality of passageways, thereby allowing insects to remain separate before trapping.
Efficiency of adhesive traps depends on maintaining an enclosed volume of space in which insects may freely move from the entrance to the adhesive-covered surface. Bed bugs tend to infest hard-to-reach, narrow places, where most of traps according to above documents cannot be placed. Moreover, traps placed under mattresses, in luggage, or pockets, will be subjected to pressure and may be crushed, thereby collapsing the enclosed volume of space. In traps comprising multiple, opposed adhesive-covered surfaces, those surfaces may come in contact and adhere to each other, rendering the trap useless.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,591,099 to Lang et al. describes a device specifically meant for detection and, optionally, retention of bed bugs. While the device is of a sturdy, non-collapsible construction and provides a multitude of entrance passageways, it optionally features a single, central adhesive-covered surface. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the device is meant to be used with a sophisticated monitoring system suitable for commercial establishments.
In spite of prior art solutions, there is still a need for an inexpensive, disposable and efficient device for trapping crawling insects, such as bed bugs, suitable for placement in mattresses and box springs, behind picture frames, under and inside furniture, in luggage, and articles of clothing. Such a device, which will also provide a convenient way of monitoring the infestation, is discussed and described in the present invention.